The trial of the four prison guards and the helicopter pilot facing
charges of negligence for failing to stop Sunday's audacious
carbon-copy prison escape by two notorious criminals, serial armed
robber Vassilis Paleokostas and his Albanian accomplice Alket Rizai,
continues on Wednesday at a Piraeus court. The attorneys of three of
the four prison guards, Messrs Tsovolas and Karatzogiannis, resigned on
Tuesday, claiming that they could not defend their clients after their
petition to let them free was overruled. On Wednesday's sitting,
fifteen witnesses, mostly prison guards, and the five defendants are
expected to testify.

In the meantime, a new prison director is expected to be picked on
Friday, while authorities are investigating the prison security lapses,
since the tip on their forthcoming escape was not taken into account.

The Conservative administration spoke of corruption in the prison
system, while Socialist leader George Papandreou called for an
off-the-agenda debate on citizens' security, holding the administration
responsible. The opposition parties also accused the government of
vying to gain access to the citizens' personal data, on the occasion of
the heralded abolition of the confidentiality of the card cell-phone
holders.

The government spokesman noted that the above measure had already taken
effect in 11 European nations and rest everybody assured that the
confidentiality of telecommunications would not be lifted.

The head of the Hellenic Telecommunications and Post Commission
predicted that the implementation of the measure would come across
practical and legal obstacles, while mobile operators termed it as
impossible.

Card cell-phone holders will given about two years to submit their
personal data to the competent authorities, clarified Transport
Minister Evrypides Stylianides.

Public sector union ADEDY 24-hour strike on Wednesday demanding support
of Welfare Fund and salary increases above inflation rate affects a
range of public services, operation of hospitals and air-transport.
Many flights will be cancelled or delayed due to the three-hour work
stoppage of Civil Aviation Employees. Grammar and high school teachers
have also joined the strike. The main rally will be staged at 11:00, at
Klathmonos Square.

"Mass participation in the strike is the response to the government's
effort to place all the burden on the workers, the unemployed and the
pensioners. Employees in the Public sector are fighting against
austerity policy, commercialization of social rights, degradation of
social security and health treatment rights" says ADEDY announcement.
"We will continue with protests," ADEDY President Spyros Papaspyros
said. "All the burden is on the workers, the unemployed and the
pensioners, while those who are responsible for the crisis are being
protected." State hospitals operate with skeleton staff and treat only
emergency cases today. Technical inspection of cars expiring today is
extended till Tuesday, 10, March, 2009.

Flight Cancellations

Olympic Airways passengers will face big problems today due
cancellation of flights or changes in departure times when air traffic
controllers walk out for three hours to join a 24-hour public sector
strike in protest against pension reforms and low salaries. For
information passengers can contact Olympic Airways 210 9666 666 and 801
1144 444. Aegean Airlines has also cancelled 17 flights and changed
departure time for 23 flights.

During his first speech before the Congress, US President Barrack Obama
appealed to the Americans to view the financial crisis as a means of
boosting ambition for the country's restructuring. Mr Obama said it's
time to act boldly not just to revive the economy, but "to build a new
foundation for lasting prosperity."

"While the cost of action will be great, I can assure you that the cost
of inaction will be far greater," he said. The president struck an
optimistic tone, asserting that "we will rebuild, we will recover, and
the United States of America will emerge stronger than before." His
speech lasted 52 minutes.

He also said that the time of truth had come, adding it is time for all
to take measures for our future, adding that sacrifices should be made
so that the federal deficit should drop by 50% until the end of his
term of office in 2013, as this year it may exceed $US1.5 trillion.

The US president promised that America will be the first country
worldwide with the biggest number of University graduates by 2020 and
at the same time raise taxation for high incomes.

He also said the country will invest to develop technology for green
energy. In parallel, he called on the Congress to propose new rules for
the Banking system and approve the new legal framework on gas
emissions, which are responsible for the greenhouse effect.

On Thursday, Mr Obama will present the new state-budget for 2010. At
the same time, he stressed that contacts without a bid should be
abolished, something which has cost the American public sector billions
of dollars in the case of Iraq and the reform in armaments expenses. He
reported that the Americans should not pay for armaments that date back
to the Cold War and do not serve us anymore. The budget, he said,
reflects the blunt reality of the crisis we have inherited.

The consequences of this recession are there and can be seen
everywhere, he said and invited the Americans not to concerned with
their Bank deposits. He assured that the financial system would
continue to operate, assuring that the Banks have enough money to boost
consumption.

The opposition voted down the bill for the expatriate Greeks' vote at
the Standing Committee on Tuesday. To pass, the bill should enjoy the
majority of 2/3 of the MPs, with PASOK (Socialists) describing it
scrappy. At the same time, Interior Minister Prokopis Pavlopoulos
accused the main opposition of refusing expatriate Greeks the right to
vote. The government's proposal gives expatriate Greeks with a Greek
nationality the right to vote, provided they are included in the
municipal and electoral rolls of Greece. As per the bill, political
parties should include at least three expatriate Greek candidates in
the electoral tickets across Greece.

Wrangling has broken out between the government and the opposition at
the Public Administration Committee on the occasion of PASOK's voting
down of the Interior Ministry's bill on the expatriate Greeks' vote. On
the basis of the Constitution (article 51), the bill that settles
everything related to the electoral right from voters, who are not in
the dominion "is voted by the majority of 2/3 (200) of the total number
of MPs."

PASOK's stance today sends a message to the future oppositions to
behave similarly, stated Interior Minister Prokopis Pavlopoulos. PASOK
tells us that it its views are not accepted for the creation of
"regions abroad" and for "epistolary vote", it will not vote through
the bill, said Mr Pavlopoulos.

Mr Pavlopoulos stressed that "the expatriate Greeks should know that
whoever adopts this position does not wish to give them the right to
vote." ND (Conservatives) speaker St. Keletsis said that the bill is
the result of a dialogue and allows three expatriate Greeks to be
included in the parties' electoral tickets across Greece.

From PASOK's side, spokesman T. Hytiris said that the expatriate
Greeks' vote is a very serious case, adding that the bill is scrappy.

The government asks for concession and despite the opposition's
objections it is tabling a bill that is transitional: "We shall test it
to see if it works and then we shall go to something else?" wondered Mr
Hytiris, who raised the issues of constitutionality, such as the
question as to whether the principle of proportionality of vote is
abided.

I am afraid that the bill is just to impress and tell expatriate Greeks
that the government is making a transitional effort for them to vote,
said Mr Hytiris. KKE (Communist Party of Greece) speaker A. Skyllakos
said that Greeks who had been living abroad for years and do not know
the conditions in Greece cannot determine Greece's fate. "Imagine what
will happen if some hundreds of thousands of people vote. Then the
Greeks' real will would be affected," said Mr Skyllakos.

SYRIZA (Coalition of the Radical Left) MP F. Kouvelis said he is voting
against the bill, proposing to establish an institution of expatriate
MPs and set up foreign constituencies. Additionally the number of
expatriate Greek MPs should be subtracted from the overall number of
MPs in Greece.

Finally, LAOS (Popular Orthodox Rally) Ath. Plevris requested that the
first position on ballot papers should be occupied by expatriate Greek
candidate MPs and expressed his objection to epistolary vote.

Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyianni will meet with her US counterpart
Hillary Clinton in Washington, on Wednesday. Called to comment on the
meeting, US State Department spokesman Robert Wood said: "US State
Secretary looks forward to her meeting with her Greek counterpart.
Greece is a significant US ally and there are a number of issues that
she wants to discuss with the Greek Foreign Minister". In response to
whether there were unresolved problems between the two countries Mr.
Wood said: "There are many problems in the world which need Greece-US
cooperation for peaceful results".

During her yesterday's meetings with US President National Security
advisor James Jones and Foreign Relation Committees of the Senate and
the House of Representatives, talks focused on West - Russia relations,
the situation in the ME, Greek-Turkish relations, prospects for
resolution of Cyprus question, Turkey's role in procedure under the
auspices of UN and FYROM name issue. The role of Greece's presidency
of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and
renewal of OSCE delegation to Georgia were discussed during Mrs.
Bakoyianni meeting with the US Congress Committee responsible for OSCE.
On her part, Mrs. Bakoyianni underlined the need for abolition of visa
requirement for Greek citizens visit to US and Greece's inclusion in
Visa Waiver program.

In an interview with NET, Mrs Bakoyianni described her meetings in
Washington as very constructive and held in a friendly climate, adding
that talks included issues of broad international interest, which
certainly linked to Greece's OSCE presidency and will be certainly
included in NATO's next Summit meeting, as well as issues of particular
interest to Greece. Mrs. Bakoyianni is to meet with the president of
the Parliament Nancy Pelozi and attend a speech by US President Barrack
Obama addressed to a joint session of the Senate and the House of
Representatives.

The slashing of jobs and the problems in various sectors prove that the
crisis has passed to the Greek economy. And to this there the
government has no government plan and packet of measures, pointed out
PASOK (Panhellenic Socialist Movement) President George Papandreou at
his party's meeting today. Referring to the imminent EU Summit-Meeting
Mr Papandreou reported that Mr Costas Karamanlis will attend the
meeting without an agenda at a time when he should have raised a number
of issues that concern especially Greece.

Mr Karamanlis is to attend the EU Summit-Meeting without a national
agenda, said Mr Papandreou, stressing that the prime minister should
raise the following issues:

1. The Stability and Development Pact should evolve given that the goal
is developmental objectives and not more flexibility. 2. The
Community's budget should increase. 3. Operational terms should be set
for the European Central Bank. 4. A European bond with European funds
should be issued. 5. The EU should take an initiative for
south-eastern Europe and the Balkans.

The prime minister should not agree with bilateral agreements and
supervision, stressed PASOK's president. Europe should remember
cohesion policies and issues such as tourism for Greece, just as other
countries are focusing on car industries, said Mr Papandreou. He also
criticized the government of only being interested in staying in power
and is not concerned with the crisis in the EU.

Mr Papandreou said that the global crisis has passed to Greece, adding
that this evident from the problems in various sectors and the slashing
of jobs. He pointed out that there is neither a plan to tackle the
problem nor packet of measures like in the rest of the EU
member-states.

PASOK's president brought as an example the non-activation of
"Karamanlis packet" on tourism and TEMPE's inefficiency. "They are
promoting their financial policy through leakages", said Mr Papandreou,
stressing that the state should come first and stop being extravagant
and ineffective like today. The objective for Greece is to be credible
to its citizens the market, the international markets and negotiations,
said Mr Papandreou, putting an end to the question "who can represent
Greece better in Europe internationally, who can claim policies of
cohesion and development in the EU?"